Hero in Disguise, Chapter 6 Options

[Taillus]

Alright folks. This is going to be a pretty crazy Chapter. I hope I can surprise you at least a time or two before it gets done. Enjoy all.

CHAPTER 6

Voices? Am I dead? I can hear commotion around me, seeming frantic and scared. I can also sense some familiarity in the voices, perhaps some people who have also died that I once knew? People began calling my name as the unmistakable sound and feeling of healing spells began washing over me. Someone is trying to bring me back, someone saving me but who? How actually would be a better question. The only thing I can remember is watching Taillus fall after putting the amulet around his neck. Perhaps just a dream? I can’t be certain but one thing I do know for sure is that I must truly be alive because the pain of the grave wounds I must have suffered makes its presence known.

“Xander please wake up. You did it you know, you defeated Taillus and are living to talk about it. Please wake up, give us some sign that you are still with us. Your heart is beating and you are breathing so we know you survived, please wake up.” A familiar voice trembles as the feeling of someone touching my face tingles down my spine. I begin to open my eyes, or eye rather; finding myself resting on a bed in Frostcraig Spire. Around me was Aeriandala who was trying to make me drink a potent healing serum and to my complete and utter surprise, the Blue Lions! They were all here! The young Khajiit courier must have performed exceptionally well because they managed to make their way here in less than a day! That is impossible.

“H..how did you guys get here so fast?” I manage to wheeze, trying to sit up to see them all. It was suggested that I keep laying down considering my plethora of wounds and countless battered bones. I could see out of the corner of my good eye, my trusted friend and fellow member of the Lions smile softly before clearing his throat to speak. Lance, the best fighter that I have ever seen touches my good shoulder, patting it carefully.

“Xander you have been dead to the world for well over a month. We got here as soon as we could, following your message. We met up with one of Aeriandala’s allies who camped out by your side to make sure you were fed and had water until we arrived to help him bring you here. We all took our turns nurturing you back to health but you are still in pretty bad shape fearless leader.” Lance explains with a tone of sadness.

Lance was the definition of a good man. A caring friend who would throw his life on the line to save those he cared about and I have witnessed him doing such a thing countless times. The older Altmer was actually born under a different name but was nicknamed Lance seeing as how he was prodigal in his proficiency with pole weapons. He stood tall, fighting tears in the standard elite Lions armor. Thick silver chainmail under overlapping silver plates complete with a cloth drape colored royal blue and white showing off our faction’s logo.

All of the Lions wore the same armor, updated since I had seen them last making me proud that since we parted ways, we have yet to lose a single member. Our faction was tightly woven with each member caring for the others like siblings. It was the only way to ensure a completely flawless team.

“We will fill you in on everything soon enough but our first concern is to get you feeling better. We have the best healers in Cyrodiil here to help as much as they can and we will do what we can to fix the damages Taillus caused.” States Merin, my second in command. Merin is a fellow Battle mage and has stood beside me since day one. She is a beautiful Breton with fiery red hair that reached her shoulders unless pulled back into a neat and practical ponytail. She has a heart of gold and a fierce battle sense to boot. It was ironic for her to say that the best healers in Cyrodiil were here to help considering that her skills were exponentially better and we all knew it. Nevertheless, I was thankful and surprised at the turnout. I had no idea so many people were concerned about my health.

I could even see Dimir and Cerwin amongst the crowd. They had heard word through the grapevine and made their way to check on my status. I made sure I acknowledged their presence, making them both smile, slightly embarrassed. I was glad they had made the trip to see me because I had been thinking of them since I left Bruma. I was sure they also wanted to see if the rumors were true, to see if I had actually captured Taillus. Heck, I was wondering the same.

The rest of the Blue Lions took turns congratulating me on capturing Taillus who they inform me is in holding in the lowest part of the Spire. The amulet is keeping him at bay as expected in addition to the pillars that Aeriandala had set up around him, keeping his powers further stunted. I was so happy to see my crew, exactly as I remember them. It was refreshing to hear that they had been fighting to have me released from prison since the second I was incarcerated and had been trying to track me down without success for what seemed to them like ages.

Sadly, my pain was becoming far too intense and was forced to take an elixir to dull my pain and put me to sleep for a few more days; but now that I knew the Blue Lions were once again at my side, a certain level of peace washed over me, making me feel warm and comfortable.

I wanted to jump to my feet every morning for days but sadly, I was unable to even move. I wanted to hear the stories of each of my crew members but sadly, I was only awake for a few hours at a time. I felt so helpless but everyone was so very understanding that it would take me quite some time to be in working order again and without even hesitating for a second, they did what they could, sitting by my side and preying that I recover soon.

Finally after rehabilitation, healing programs, powerful magicka sessions and more I was finally able to get up and walk around on my own; well if you consider with the aid of a large staff being “on my own”. It was not until I did however, that I realized the extent of the damage Taillus caused me. I was most certainly blind in one eye, and in looking in the mirror revealed my damaged eye to be completely without color, and scarred from my hair line to the middle of my cheek; a deep, thin scar that will never go away, constantly reminding me of my loss to Taillus.

My right leg was so badly damaged that I would probably always walk with a pain filled limp, making me have to rely on this sturdy staff to help me walk. My left arm was as I feared, completely removed at the shoulder, leaving nothing behind. I was a fraction of the man I used to be. My hair was beginning to silver due to the shock of so many battles and my face was starting to age prematurely. I still looked fairly young, just a bit more…refined so to speak.

As I dressed in a robe provided for me, I decided to make my way to where my crew was gathered, they wanted to take me to see Taillus who had been held prisoner since we all came here. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see him but they claimed that it would do me well, to complete my healing process.

Upon arriving to his holding area I realized that I had done more damage than I had previously anticipated. A deep, thick scar crossed diagonally down his chest where I stabbed him earlier and his body was burned from my magicka. He was completely helpless, sitting in only the black pants he wore when we battled. He was chained to a thick, icy, stone column with the amulet around his neck. His head was down, as if he had been looking at the floor but he had no choice due to the effects of the Prisoner of Greed. Five smaller pillars spanned a tight perimeter around him, each with a colored stone that was emitting a beam of light, holding him in place and draining his attributes. Until we could figure out how to kill him we would have to keep him here.

[Taillus]

Here we are folks. Sorry for the slight pause. Work has been getting piled higher and higher but now that I have escaped, here is the next installment.


A strange feeling washed over me as a pale blue magic glittered and swirled all over us. The others watched half in awe, half in horror at the events to follow but they held strong, not letting us see their anxiousness and states of worry. It was too late to turn back now as I looked at my hand to see it fading from reality. Telina chants something and before I could even change my mind, we were engulfed in a bright white light.

Within seconds, Telina and I were standing on the other end of what looked like an Oblivion gate. The sights and smells before me looked exactly like Oblivion, which made my stomach sick. I was shaking badly, my nerves getting the better of me. Telina placed her hand on my shoulder, crouching with me as all I wanted to do was grip the ground and not move. Telina told me again that this was going to be a cakewalk and that all of this was just conjured by Taillus’ mind. None of it was real.

I was going to have to regain my composure if I was going to be anything less than a burden to Telina. She was right as always in the sense that none of this was reality. It was all just a nightmare that I would have to fight my way out of. I had fought Taillus many times and have survived each time. This time I didn’t have to kill him, I just had to free his former self. I shakily got back to my feet and stood beside Telina.

“Now since this isn’t real Xander, you are merely a vision of how you see yourself. Be more creative. If you envision yourself as being a worthless man, you will be one. Have confidence in yourself Xander and what you believe will be what you see in you here. You have no reason to be ashamed of yourself. You are a brave soul with powers that are well beyond most people’s comprehension. Just because you failed to kill Taillus doesn’t make you any less a battle mage. You are a fierce fighter, an accomplished warrior and you have the strongest will I have ever seen. See yourself as a better man, you deserve as much!” Telina demands as she stands back.

Again, she is right. I do not need to punish myself for my failure by looking down upon myself because I have not failed. I am still the man I once was. I still have the respect of so many people. I have conquered Taillus even though he hacked off my arm. I am Xander, Leader of the Blue Lions and the savior of Morrowind!

With that, I was consumed with an energy that orbited my body. A feeling of satisfaction washed over me, making me feel confident once again. I could see my body changing and when the energy faded away, I could see the man I really was. Telina smiled, knowing that she had helped me get out of the rut I was in. She telepathically congratulated me before eyeing my new look. I had to say that I was even impressed with myself. In this dream world, anything was possible and was only limited by one’s mind.

Now I stood, wearing Mythril chainmail under shining Platinum plating. The familiar drape in royal blue and white proudly showed off the Blue Lions Emblem and a long, flowing royal blue cape was buckled securely to my pauldrons. In my right hand, I now held a long, shimmering platinum blade that was accented in royal blue, complete with the lions crest on the hilt. My other hand, which was now present, held a sturdy platinum shield that also proudly displayed the crest of the Blue Lions. This was how I saw myself. Not as a wounded man, not as being battered and beaten. I was the leader of the greatest faction in the land, I was Xander Moorcroft, Battlemage!

As Telina and I walked forward, I realized how Taillus’ mind was able to recreate what we saw before us. The souls of all those he had murdered in the past walked aimlessly around us, taking spectral forms as they wandered, completely lost. The hills of this fake Oblivion were decorated with large statues of his battles with Molag Bal. I looked around, seeing statues of Molag Bal on his knees before a largely exaggerated Taillus. The statues made me laugh, making it possible for me to see how highly he did think of himself.

Telina also had made some comments on our walk about how Taillus was an egotistical jerk. She hated him already and while I didn’t blame her, I told her to wait until she actually met him. Taillus was one of a kind. Quick to throw taunts and insults but even quicker to back up his mouth with his fists. I also warned Telina about his strength. I didn’t want her to take this lightly, but at the same time I had no idea what she was capable of. She seemed like a very powerful woman but I was oblivious to how she was powerful. I was sure that she would have no luck messing with his brain but again, contradicting myself, here we were in his head. I just decided to give up, knowing no matter what happened here it would be a surprise to me so I just had to keep my guard up.

As we walked, I could sense something out of the ordinary. Telina stopped dead in her tracks, seemingly sensing the same thing. It was a being that was surging with energy. From what Telina could determine, it was a conjured beast but she had little clues as to where it was. With my mind working without me, I rolled to the side, got to my feet and hauled Telina down to the ground. Just as I suspected, a huge Daedroth rippled into view as its Chameleon spell wore off.

Telina hopped back to her feet and pulled two impressive daedric blades from seemingly nowhere and proceeded to stand at the massive beast’s feet. It stood well over ten feet tall but Telina simply dodged its tree trunk sized appendages before quickly running up the length of the beast’s outstretched arm and bringing her two blades together like a pair of shears. In an instant, she brought the blades together, severing the Daedroth’s head.

I watched from my knees as she hopped off the monster’s shoulders, landing daintily in front of me. She flicked the blades with her wrists, ridding them of blood completely. I was completely dumbfounded. She was unlike anyone I have ever seen. Maybe this was going to be much easier than I had thought…